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NO strip club in Albert Road, thanks!

Aurora New Dawn is proud to be part of an active and well supported local campaign to oppose the relocation of an existing lap dancing club to Albert Road in Southsea, Portsmouth.

The existing club, ‘Elegance’ (legally listed as a Sexual Entertainment Venue or SEV) is currently located in Granada Road but owner Paul Ojla recently submitted an application to relocate the club to a popular location in Albert Road, between a well-loved performance venue, The Wedgewood Rooms and a wedding shop.

Chief Executive of Aurora New Dawn, Shonagh Dillon, made a formal deputation objecting to the relocation to Portsmouth City Council’s Planning Committee, alongside 6 other deputations from local councillors and residents.

The Planning Committee voted to reject Mr Ojla’s application, which was also opposed by several local petitions attracting hundreds of signatures. Aurora’s statement was one of over 100 submitted to the Council, the overwhelming majority of which objected to the relocation of the club to Albert Road.

Councillors voted unanimously to oppose the application, however, Mr Ojla is entitled to appeal the decision. Should he do so, Aurora New Dawn looks forward to opposing the appeal and ensuring that Portsmouth City Council upholds it commitment to its SEV licensing policy, approved in 2012. Aurora was an active partner in the campaign to introduce the SEV policy, alongside the Solent Feminist Network and local residents.

Portsmouth City Council’s Sexual Entertainment Venue policy introduced a ‘nil cap’ opposing any new lap dancing clubs in the city. As SEV licences are non-transferable, in order for Elegance to relocate, it would essentially become a new club, subject to the nil cap. The SEV policy makes clear that “there is no place within the City of Portsmouth of which it could be said that it was situated in a locality in which it would be appropriate to licence a sex establishment.”